Joe Biden on Tuesday chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, betting that her ties to the African-American community and self-branding as a “progressive prosecutor” would help send him to the White House.
Harris, 55, who ran against Biden in the Democratic presidential race, becomes the first Black woman and first Asian-American on a presidential card for a major party. Known as an aggressive campaigner, the California junior senator has won three elections in the most populous U.S. state winning elections. She built her early career as a San Francisco District Attorney and later California Attorney General.
“I have the great honor to announce that I have chosen @KamalaHarris – a fearless fighter for the little boy, and one of the most beautiful officials in the country – as my running mate,” Biden tweeted.
Harris tweeted her own reaction, duty to help Biden defeat President Donald Trump.
“@JoeBiden can unite the American people because he has fought for his life for us. And as president, he will build an America that lives up to our ideals. I am honored to marry him as our party’s Vice Presidential nominee, and to do whatever it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief, ”she said.
The Democratic nominee announced the selection six days ahead of the party’s convention, which begins Aug. 17.
The two candidates will appear together on Wednesday and at events in Delaware next week. Harris will take place against Vice President Mike Pence in a debate on October 7, scheduled to attend the University of Utah.
Biden made his decision based on his own eight years as Vice President of Barack Obama. He often said he hoped to choose a running mate with whom he would be compatible and share values, even if they came from a very different background than his.
Harris knew Biden’s son Beau when he was Attorney General of Delaware and Harris held the same job in California. Biden was also impressed by her work on the Senate Justice Committee, the campaign said.
Background of criminal justice
By enforcing its history in law, Harris was able to help Biden overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system, which has been under intense scrutiny since nationwide protests since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police spokesman. Her stubborn stance on police reform in recent months, including co-authoring a House bill to ban police chokeholds and other steps, has helped mute criticism from proponents of her own record as a prosecutor.
Photographer: Zach Gibson / Bloomberg
Harris has been criticized for her aggressive pursuit of men of color, some of whom were later released, for serious crimes. Harris responded to that criticism by describing himself as a progressive prosecutor who worked to bridge the gap between law-and-order toughness and a protective instinct for those who needed it.
Read more: Kamala Harris’s Offices have filed charges for wrongdoing
Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a political action committee, said Harris was a “stellar Black candidate,” even though they do not always agree on issues.
But Robinson said Harris should confront her past as a lawyer directly and talk about how her views have evolved.
‘These are questions she needs to answer, she needs to actually talk about her evolution and talk about the way the world was in terms of her progressive persecution back when she was a prosecutor, talk about the challenges that she had and talked about where she’s moved to, “Robinson said in a phone call with reporters.
Biden committed himself to choosing a woman even before he won the nomination, and made a surprising announcement during the last debate of the primary mid-March. Harris supported Biden on March 8, and threw her support behind his candidacy after he sharply criticized him in the Democratic primary.
Representative Jim Clyburn, whose support gave Biden the momentum he needed to win South Carolina and eventually the nomination, welcomed the historic choice.
“What we see today is another chapter in this country that lives its true body that all men and women are equal,” he said.
Obama said Biden “had this decision”.
“Now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges facing America at the moment and in the years to come,” Obama said in a statement.
Harris and Biden had a heated exchange during the primary, when in the 1970s they confronted his opposition with a federal mandate for bus to integrate schools, which put him on the same side as segregationist senators. Biden has said he supports degrading schools, but not the federal mandate.
After the debate, it became clear that she and Biden agreed on modern desegregation policies.
Trump said he was “a little surprised” that Biden selected Harris as his running mate, saying she was “disgusting” to the former vice president in primary debates, with a term he normally reserves for women. He criticized her for her aggressive questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh over allegations of sexual abuse during his hearings on First-Chamber affirmation.
“I thought she was the most, the most, the most disrespectful of anyone in the U.S. Senate,” Trump said.
The Trump campaign released a Harris attack ad within minutes of the announcement.
Harris dropped out of the presidential race in December, but remains well-respected in the party. Their Jamaican and Indian heritage fits well into a party that is becoming more feminine and less White.
Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, also considered a front-runner for the job, immediately congratulated Harris, calling her “a tenuous and trailess leader who will make a great partner on the campaign track.” Rice said she will continue to campaign energetically for the ticket.
Chamber member Nancy Pelosi also praised the choice.
“Joe Biden’s appointment of Senator Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for Vice President marks a historic and proud milestone for our country,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As Vice President of the United States of America, Senator Harris will continue her legacy of unwavering leadership to advance our nation. ”
Harris’ presidential campaign was hampered by her struggle to make clear what she stood for.
In January 2019, Harris told CNN that she supported eliminating private insurance to reach Medicare for All. Six months later, she backed away from the Bernie Sanders bill she had co-sponsored and released her own plan that split the difference between an insurance plan implemented by the government and the retention of a private insurance option.
– With the help of Tyler Pager, and Emma Kinery
(Updates Trump comments in paragraphs 19 and 20)
.
